Jennifer Nam
Opening Statement
We are here today to discuss the statement: the world and everything in it is an unplanned accident, existence is meaningless, the past is irrelevant and nothing matters. The world is nothing. It merely is, quote on quote, "a mechanical chaos of casual, brute enmity on which we stupidly impose our hopes and fears". How do you explain Grendel meeting the Dragon? How do you explain occurrences such as Grendel slipping on human blood while wrestling with Beowulf? How do you know whether human existence actually have a purpose? You cannot, because every events takes place spontaneously and every existence is created without significance.
The lawyers in position one consist of Lynn Moon, DK Lee, Bo Kang and myself, Jennifer Nam. Colleagues and I are trying to prove that the world and everything is essentially meaningless. Our first major witness is the Dragon. The Dragon knows the past, the present and the future therefore he evidently knows everything. And he quoted on page 73, “It’s all the same in the end, matter and motion, simple or complex. No difference, finally. Death, transfiguration. Ashes to ashes and slime to slime, amen.” This omniscient character states that everything in the world turns into dust and nothing lives on. This means that it makes no difference about what happened in the past and potentially existence is meaningless. The other major witnesses are Grendel and Beowulf who emphasizes the uncertainties of human existence and the frequent loss of stability and happiness from disorder, misery, and death. By observing at the experiences Dragon, Grendel and Beowulf encountered and the their significant arguments position one will prove that “The world and everything in it is unplanned accident, existence is meaningless; the past is irrelevant; nothing matters.”
Letter Reflection
The letter of John Gardner taught me numerous things I was unaware about Grendel, Beowulf and the Dragon. Before reading the letter, I solely understood what took place in the story but not the deeper meaning behind it. By the author of the book actually explaining what he expects the readers to learn from his work, I got to know that the book Grendel takes experience and sophistication, which means that different readers will find in it different things. It also clarified some uncertain parts such as Grendel asserting a dead, mechanistic world of brute accident, but by the accident of meeting Beowulf he’s forced to discover how accident can be turned into a good. Some parts of the letter was rather relevantly informative to support my opening statement as well as the information to back up my overall statements and questions for this trial. For instance, Gardner’s brief analysis of Beowulf’s life and after-life was evidently misleading: Beowulf’s reputation as a perfect hero was useless and hopeless after dying deluded, thinking that he has saved his people when in fact the treasure he’s captured is worthless and his people are now certain to die, since the Swedes will no longer be held off by Beowulf’s strength and wisdom. This information is a huge evidence for the argument of my position. John Gardner’s letter was immensely beneficial for me to learned different perspectives about the characters overall.
Outline “The world and everything in it is unplanned accident, existence is meaningless; the past is irrelevant; nothing matters.”
1. Unplanned accident
- In pg. 173 Grendel states, "It was an accident," ...I will cling to what is true. "Blind, mindless, mechanical. Mere logic of chance."
This was when Beowulf gained the upper hand. If Grendel had not slipped on the blood, he would have won.
- Grendel continues to insist on Beowulf's insanity and states that his victory is only an accident and there are no proof of the truth of his words.
- In pg. 174 Grendel states, "Poor Grendel's had an accident." ..."So may you all"
This is the last quote by Grendel as well as the book, and he points out that death is unplanned.
2. Meaningless existence
- Grendel believes that much of human existence is a deception.
- Line 1758-1768 of Beowulf describes fragility of life.
- Beowulf emphasizes the uncertainties of human existence and the frequent loss of stability and happiness to chaos, misery, and death.
- Pg. 74, "What god? Where? Life-force you mean? The principle of process? God as the history of Chance?"
The Dragon states that the existence of God is pointless.
3. The past is irrelevant
- Pg. 73 "If you withdraw...Ashes to ashes..,amen."
In this quote Dragon states that everything have the same ending and it does not matter about the past.
4. nothing matters
- One of the themes of this book is Nihilism- which rejects all the religious and moral principles.
- The Dragon is cynical about doing good things to the world.
- In pg. 28 Grendel states, "The world is all pointless accident," I say. Shouting now, my fists clenched. "I exist, nothing else."
This quote restates the fact of meaningless existence and point out that only Grendel exists in this world and says that nothing else matters.
- When Grendel was talking with the Dragon, the Dragon continues to tell Grendel that nothing matters, and that the only thing Grendel should do is sit on his treasure.
Opening Statement
We are here today to discuss the statement: the world and everything in it is an unplanned accident, existence is meaningless, the past is irrelevant and nothing matters. The world is nothing. It merely is, quote on quote, "a mechanical chaos of casual, brute enmity on which we stupidly impose our hopes and fears". How do you explain Grendel meeting the Dragon? How do you explain occurrences such as Grendel slipping on human blood while wrestling with Beowulf? How do you know whether human existence actually have a purpose? You cannot, because every events takes place spontaneously and every existence is created without significance.
The lawyers in position one consist of Lynn Moon, DK Lee, Bo Kang and myself, Jennifer Nam. Colleagues and I are trying to prove that the world and everything is essentially meaningless. Our first major witness is the Dragon. The Dragon knows the past, the present and the future therefore he evidently knows everything. And he quoted on page 73, “It’s all the same in the end, matter and motion, simple or complex. No difference, finally. Death, transfiguration. Ashes to ashes and slime to slime, amen.” This omniscient character states that everything in the world turns into dust and nothing lives on. This means that it makes no difference about what happened in the past and potentially existence is meaningless. The other major witnesses are Grendel and Beowulf who emphasizes the uncertainties of human existence and the frequent loss of stability and happiness from disorder, misery, and death. By observing at the experiences Dragon, Grendel and Beowulf encountered and the their significant arguments position one will prove that “The world and everything in it is unplanned accident, existence is meaningless; the past is irrelevant; nothing matters.”
Letter Reflection
The letter of John Gardner taught me numerous things I was unaware about Grendel, Beowulf and the Dragon. Before reading the letter, I solely understood what took place in the story but not the deeper meaning behind it. By the author of the book actually explaining what he expects the readers to learn from his work, I got to know that the book Grendel takes experience and sophistication, which means that different readers will find in it different things. It also clarified some uncertain parts such as Grendel asserting a dead, mechanistic world of brute accident, but by the accident of meeting Beowulf he’s forced to discover how accident can be turned into a good. Some parts of the letter was rather relevantly informative to support my opening statement as well as the information to back up my overall statements and questions for this trial. For instance, Gardner’s brief analysis of Beowulf’s life and after-life was evidently misleading: Beowulf’s reputation as a perfect hero was useless and hopeless after dying deluded, thinking that he has saved his people when in fact the treasure he’s captured is worthless and his people are now certain to die, since the Swedes will no longer be held off by Beowulf’s strength and wisdom. This information is a huge evidence for the argument of my position. John Gardner’s letter was immensely beneficial for me to learned different perspectives about the characters overall.
Outline
“The world and everything in it is unplanned accident, existence is meaningless; the past is irrelevant; nothing matters.”
1. Unplanned accident
- In pg. 173 Grendel states, "It was an accident," ...I will cling to what is true. "Blind, mindless, mechanical. Mere logic of chance."
- This was when Beowulf gained the upper hand. If Grendel had not slipped on the blood, he would have won.
- Grendel continues to insist on Beowulf's insanity and states that his victory is only an accident and there are no proof of the truth of his words.- In pg. 174 Grendel states, "Poor Grendel's had an accident." ..."So may you all"
2. Meaningless existence
- Grendel believes that much of human existence is a deception.
- Line 1758-1768 of Beowulf describes fragility of life.
- Beowulf emphasizes the uncertainties of human existence and the frequent loss of stability and happiness to chaos, misery, and death.
- Pg. 74, "What god? Where? Life-force you mean? The principle of process? God as the history of Chance?"
3. The past is irrelevant
- Pg. 73 "If you withdraw...Ashes to ashes..,amen."
4. nothing matters
- One of the themes of this book is Nihilism- which rejects all the religious and moral principles.
- The Dragon is cynical about doing good things to the world.
- In pg. 28 Grendel states, "The world is all pointless accident," I say. Shouting now, my fists clenched. "I exist, nothing else."
- This quote restates the fact of meaningless existence and point out that only Grendel exists in this world and says that nothing else matters.
- When Grendel was talking with the Dragon, the Dragon continues to tell Grendel that nothing matters, and that the only thing Grendel should do is sit on his treasure.